Amusement gravity suspension railway



Dec. 5,1927. v1,651,961

l, MILLER- AMUSEMENT GRAVITY SUSPENSION RAILWAY Filed NOV. 22. 1926 2g Jaw, Wm:

Patented Dec. 6, 1927.

nutren sreras ISIDOR MILLER, OF UNION CITY, NEW' JERSEY.

, i Application filed November 22,1926. Serial No. lll.

rlhis invention relates to amusement devices adapted for use in parks and seashore and other resorts where crowds ot people congregate, an object being to provide such a device'V whose operation is substantially automatic and quite inexpensive.

rllhe invention has for its further objects to provide certain other novel features, all of which will be more clearlydei'ined in the following detailed description.

Sonie or' the said Jfeatures comprise spaced towersor rmasts which may bevpositioned in a path returning to its original start and on which is a cable constituting a runway to." a roller support, seat, car, or cage. These towers are vpreferably graduated in height, the one at the beginning of the runway being the tallest or highest and each succeeding tower in the circle being lower in stepped relation; the last one, the one at the end ot the runway being lowest orn all. rlhe towers also may be ot equal heights, in which case they carry 'supports tor the runway placed ot gradually diminishing heights on the towers. The towers may be of any'desired number and the path ot the runway may take any desired shape, like circle, rectangular, polygonal,A or other curvature according tothe space available to be covered by my device. y

l also may employ kseveral supports on each tower and provide a multiple path ork runway for my cars, covering the samecurve several times at gradually diminishing heights. Y j

To move the car from the loading point, at the lowest tower, to the starting point oi the cable runway, I may provide a motor driven elevator constituted by an endless chain or beltV providedwith projections to engage apart ot the cage or car hanger and drawthe said car up an inclined portion of the cable to the top of the highest tower aliterwhich it is released and starts, by the action of gravity, another trip along ther cable down to the lowest or loading point. Y

showing `the complete arrangements of the amusement device with the passenger can j rying car or cage at the loading point.

Fig. 2, is a `'lraginentary elevation showing a cable supporting arm extending outwardly from the top oi a tower and show-` ing the car hanger mounted yon the cable.

3, is a fragmentary side view show ing some of the inclined vcable port-ion, the

` cage hangerfwith its roller-and a length ot' the elevator `with one ot its projections or lugs engaging a loop to pull it up to the top ot the khighest tower of the amusement device.` i Y,

Fig. Il, is a diagrammatic plan view of the arrangement' of my device with a particularly shaped runway.

Referring to the drawings, preferably. provide a series oit towers 10,' 11,12, 13, lei` and l5, graduating in height trom thellirst -to the last, the tower l() being the tallest or highest. i

Each oi these towers has an outwardly directed arm 16, 4provided at-.its remote end,

with support 17, tor an endless `cableld constituting a runway for a car orV `cage lt),

vsuspended by a hanger 20, therefrom, which jump the cable the shank Qlon `the one side and guardiinger 24 on the other will pre j vent the car from getting on the* cable `and dropping tothe ground, as will be understood. When thecar is loaded, it maybe pushed by attendants a few ieetto anv elevator 2"', constituted by an endless belt or ,chain 28, carried on pulleys or gearsQQ, and 30, suitably mounted on thetowers 'l5 and l0 respectively, gear 29 being driven by a motor 31c'ontrolled by a switch 32.

The-endless chain elevator is provided with spaced. projections or 'fingers 33,' one of which, in operation oithe device, will y engage the loop 22, ot the. car hanger and carry'ity top ,the top .of the tower lO, when it will be released by the loop passing away fronithe engaging :linger it is` carried .aroundl the gear 30, while the cable 18 starts on itsdownward grade with the car rolling downwardly thereon. 7

'To insure positive engagement ot' a finger of the' cage hanger n j A roller 25, is journalled o'n the.,k bar 23, and has a deep groove 26, to hold it tothe cable at high speed, but it it shouldr Si) i ies 33, of the elevator with the loop4 22 I may bacl: up the lower reach thereof with pressure rolls Sil.

The car 19, when it is coming from .the

tower le?, on the last horizontal cable section i8 has lost considerable momentum and the proper place 'to unload the passengers.

have overcome this ditliculty by providing a series ot rollers S5, mounted at the unloading platform and against'which a spring pressed brake blocl; 3o, presses so that the friction set up by the rollers will bring the car to a stop at the proper point at the platform.

The car may also be caused to stop at the right position byv making the lowest end ot the run-way at tower l5, somewhat raised, as indicated by the dotted l ics at En?, so that the car will naturally roll baci; 'to the loading position. y

To facilitate the rounding ot the corners where the towers, or masts are located, I may conveniently arrange two or more arms on the resi cctive towers projecting theretroin in radial directions so as to gire easier curvature to the cable. I may also insert curved pieces ot rods, rails etc. at the corners or may, naturally, build the whole runway oli' rods, rails or the like instead ot the cable;

.In F ig. 4 Iillustrate in a diagrammatic plan view a specific arrangement of iny towers or mast l0", ll', l2', 3,.l"l, l, lG, 1.7', 18, and 19', the iirst one being the highest and the last one the lowest, carrying the runway lSq in a steadily declining manner and having the elevator 27 inserted between the last `and the tirst towers, as has been described hereinabove.

vl/lith this diagrammatic ligure I want to illustrate the `great adaptability ot my amusement device to the space available, ity

being adapted to cover quite a'large space in any desired line or curvature and still leaving the ground entirely 'free t'or other devices arranged underneath my runwayywith the exception of the small ground spaces needed 'for the erection oi 1 towers.

Finally I want to remark that based on the principles disclosed herein, amusement device may be built with two towers only, the runway being between the two' and 'the rar-running to and tro between themV for which purpose the ends of the runway vand the car on them are alternately raised ant lowered. It is also obvious that aside of the frravit drive described hereinbetore I ina einilo i any of the usual and well known y power or hand drives to propel my car along its runway and through these methods or through the general design of the device I may give my car any desired speed.

Instead of a power drivenr elevator I may cmployany ot the well known hand devices, based on lever and gear systems to lift my car at ythe 'end oi' its travel.

Vilhat l claim as new is:

l. )in amusement device comprising in ccmbination with a car having a hanger and a roller tiiercon, a series ot supports ar` ranged in a substantially closed continuous path a cable thereon forming a runway for said car troni which it is suspended, said sup-k ports being` of progressively decreasing heights from the beginning tothe end of the runway and means tcrraising said car from the end to the beginning of' said'runway, said means comprising a motor driving endless chain having projecting fingers to engage the hanger oi said car, and means to stop the car at the end `or the runway 4including friction rollers to Contact the bottom kof the car.

An amusement device comprising in combination with a car having a hanger and a roller thereon, a series oft' supports arranged in a substantially closed continuous path a cable thereon toi-ming a runway for said car i'roin which it is suspended, said supports being ot progressively decreasing heightsy from the beginning to the end of the runway and means for raising said car from the end to the beginning of said runway, said means comprising Ya motor driving endless Vchain having projecting lingers toengage the hanger ot said car, said hanger having a loop, across bar on which the roller is journalled, and a guard linger arranged inside of aid cable.

3. In `an amusement devicein combina.- tion, a series of towers, a cable carried thereon to form a runway, a car having a roller to engage said runway said towers ybeing of varying heights, the tallest being atjthe" beginning of the runway, the shortest at the end ot said runway, meansnitor transferring said cartrom the shortest to the tallest tower and meansy for stopping the car at the end of the runway, including friction rollers to contact the bottom ot the car at the end of the runway. y i f Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State ot `New York, this 8th day of November, A. D. 1926.

,isinon MILLER. 

